Reuse of needles and syringes by health care providers puts patients at risk

Recent survey reveals compliance with infection control guidelines lacking

A recent survey of various health care providers who give medications through injections reveals that 1 in 100 reuse the same needle and/or syringe on multiple patients, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

The telephone survey, conducted by Cooper Research, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, included a random selection of health care providers in five different categories: anesthesiologists, other physicians, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), other nurses, and oral surgeons. Prompted by news reports of Hepatitis C outbreaks in Brooklyn, NY, and Norman, OK, allegedly caused by health care providers reusing needles and/or syringes on multiple patients, the survey was undertaken to determine provider attitudes and practices concerning reuse.

Despite infection control guidelines that advise against the reuse of needles and syringes on multiple patients, the survey results suggest that there is a lack of compliance among some health care providers.

"There is no excuse for ever reusing a needle or syringe on different patients," said Rodney Lester, CRNA, PhD, AANA president. "It is most disturbing that even 1% of the health care providers surveyed do this, potentially exposing millions of patients each year to needles and/or syringes contaminated with Hepatitis, HIV, or other life-threatening infectious diseases."

Among the different categories of health care professionals surveyed, 3% of the anesthesiologists who responded indicated they reuse needles and/or syringes on multiple patients; other physicians, CRNAs, other nurses and oral surgeons reported reuse at 1% or less for each group.

Lester pointed out that even though the percentages of health care providers who reuse on multiple patients appear to be low, they translate into an alarming number of actual health care providers.

"In the anesthesia field alone," Lester said, "3% of physician anesthesiologists and 1% of CRNAs amounts to roughly 750 anesthesiologists and 250 nurse anesthetists, or a total of 1,000 providers. That is 1,000 too many."

According to Lester, reuse of the same needle and/or syringe on multiple patients is strictly forbidden in the infection control guidelines and practice standards of various professional associations, such as the AANA, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. He added that using the same needle and syringe on multiple patients is not allowed regardless of whether the provider uses needles or a needleless system to administer medications. Many health care facilities have gone to needleless systems in recent years as a safeguard against contamination and as a precaution against needlesticks for healthcare providers. However, even with needleless systems the reuse of syringes from patient to patient is not permissible.

Source: American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

Copyright American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Mar/Apr 2003
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